Work-guiding device for sewing machines



Y 31, J. E. ACKERMAN WORK GUIDING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 22, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet James E. A e/term an WWweaa: I 90AM, QM

y 1, 1934- J. E. ACKERMAN 1,957,403

WORK GUIDING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 22, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ejvmes E. Jqc/ierman Wifwe W 3% W 2 W Patented May 1, 1934 UNETED STATES WORK-GUIDING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES James E. Ackerman, Devon, Conn., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 22, 1932, Serial No. 648,329

8 Claims. (Cl. 112-136) This invention relates to improvements in work-guiding devices for sewing machines, and while more particularly designed as an improvement in sewing machine attachments employed for folding work-margins in the operation of stitching edge-folds, hems and the like, it is also adapted for use in connection with other forms of work-guiding devices for sewing machines.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means for quickly and conveniently substituting one work-guiding device for another for use in a sewing machine. Other and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

The invention consists in the provision of a plurality of work-guiding devices for use in connection with a sewing machine and in the arrangements of parts hereinafter described,

whereby said devices may be alternately shifted into operative position. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanylng drawings, in which:--

Fig. 1 is a top-plan view of a portion of a sewing machine cloth-plate and of the improved attachment applied thereto with one of the work-guiding devices in operative position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the attachment substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a different one of the work-guiding devices in operative position. Fig. 4 is a cross section substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a sewing machine to which the improved attachment has been applied has a horizontally disposed cloth-plate 1 from which rises a bracket-arm standard 2, said cloth-plate having a throat-plate 3 through which is projected a feed-dog 4 for advancing the work. Opposed to the feed-dog 4 is a presser-foot 5 having a slot 6 traversed by a vertically reciprocatory needle 7. This slot 6 divides the presser-foot into spaced toes 8 and 9, of which the right hand toe 9 is shorter than the other.

The improved attachment has a base-plate 10 secured by a screw 11 upon the cloth-plate, with the spaced depending cars 12 and 13 of said base-plate in engagement with the front edge of the cloth-plate. Pivotally secured upon the base-plate 10 by a shouldered pivot-screw 14 and a friction washer 15, for horizontal swinging movements, are superposed carrier-arms 16 and 17. The under carrier-arm 16 is provided in its upper face and at one side of the pivotscrew 14 with a grooved guideway 18 extending longitudinally of said carrier-arm, said guideway having alined slots 19. Slidably disposed in the guideway 18 and confined therein by studscrews 20 passing through the guideway slots 19 from the under side thereof is a guide-plate 21. Adjustably secured upon the guide-plate 21 by screws 22 is the bent shank 23 of a hemfolder 24 of any usual or suitable construction, the arrangement being preferably such that in its operative position, the hem-folder 24 has its delivery end disposed in a cut out portion of the presser-foot in front of the toe 9 thereof.

The carrier-arm 16 has a rearwardly curved tail-extension 25 at the side of the pivot-screw 14 opposite to the guideway 18 side thereof. Adjustably secured upon said tail-extension 25 is a stopplate 26 having a curved cam-edge 27 at its end nearest to the pivot-screw 14. The stop-plate 26 is secured by a pivot-screw 28 and a securingscrew 29, of which the latter passes through an arcuate slot 30 in the stop-plate to provide for adjustment of the stop-plate about the pivotscrew 28. Anchored to the stop-plate 26 by a screw 31 is one end of a coiled tension-spring 32' of which the other end is connected by a screw 33 to the guide-plate 21, the action of the spring 32 obviously being to yieldingly retract the guideplate in a direction toward the pivot-screw 14.

The guideplate 21 is disposed in the horizontal plane of the upper carrier-arm 17, which latter is provided at one end with a curved cam-edge 34 engageable with the rounded end of the guideplate 21 to shift said guide-plate in its guideway in a direction away from the pivot-screw 14. The cam-edge 34 terminates in a cam-shoulder 35 merging into a clearance recess 36 in one side edge of the carrier-arm 1'? for a purpose later described. At the side of the pivot-screw 14 opposite to the cam-edge 34 side thereof, there is adjustably secured upon the carrier-arm 17, by screws 37, the longitudinally slotted shank S8 of a hem-folder 39. The hem-folder 39'is in the present instance of the same general construction as the hem-folder 24 and difiers therefrom primarily in the width of the hem folded thereby.

It will be obvious, however, that the present invention is not limited to any specific construction of the hem-folders mounted upon the carrierarms 16 and 1'7, or in fact to hem-folders, as other forms of work-guides, such as binders and the like, may be substituted for the hem-folders herein disclosed.

The base-plate 10 of the attachment is provided in its upper face with a short stop-pin 40 positioned for engagement by the front edge of the carrier-arm 16 to limit the forward or counterclockwise swinging movement of the latter when bringing the hem-folder 24 into its operative position. The upper-carrier arm 17 is provided with a depending stop-lug 41 which is also ongageable with the stop-pin 40 in a clockwise swinging movement of the CELlllBT-&llll 17 to bring the hem-folder 39 into operative position. Secured by screws 42 to the under side of the carrier-arm 1'? is a spring-blade 43 bent to provide a latoh=nose 44 and an upwardly directed free end 45 to which is suitably secured a finger-piece 46 directly adjacent to an upstanding thumbpiece 47 rising from the carrier-arm 17. The latch-nose 44 is adapted to engage a keeper-edge 48 upon the base-plate 10 to releasably hold the hem-folder 39 in its operative position, and is also adapted to engage another keeper-edge 49 upon the base-plate 1G to latch the hem-folder 24 in its operative position.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the hemmer 24 is shown in position to hem-fold the margin of a body material and direct the hem-fold to the needle 7, while the hemmer 39 is shown as latched out of operative position in front of the bracketarm standard 2 of the machine. To substitute hemmer 39 for hemmer 24, the latch-nose 44 is released from the keeper-edge 49 by pressing the finger-piece 46 toward the thumb-piece 47, whereupon the carrier-arm 17 of the hemmer 39 is free to be swung in a clockwise direction about the pivot-screw 14. In the initial swinging movement referred to of the hammer 39, the camedge 34 of the carrier-arm 1'7 rides past the rounded end or" the guide-plate 21, thus bringing the recess 36 opposite to the end of the guide-plate 21 and permitting the spring 32 to retract said guide-plate in its carrier-arm guideway to with draw the heinmer 24 endwise fromoperative position in a direction crosswise of the line of seam formation. This position of the parts is illusrated by dotted lines in Fig. i of the drawings.

The hemmer 24. is now sufficiently retracted from operative position to permit it to be swung clockwise, or delivery end first, into an ineffective position. This is accomplished in thepresent instance by a continued movement of the hemmer 39 into operative position, because of the engagement by the edge of the carrier-arm with the front portion of the end of the guide-plate 21. The swinging movement of the hemmer 39 into operative position is limited by the engagement of its carrier-arm lug 41 with the base-plate stoppin 40, the hemmer 39 at this time occupying its proper position for folding the work and directing it to the needle, while the hemmer 24 has been swung horizontally back under the bracket-arm of the machine suificiently far, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to offer no impediment to convenient handling of the work. When the lug 41 engages the stop-pin 41), the latch-nose 44 snaps over the keeper-edge 48 of the base-plate to thereby secure the hemmer 39 in its operative position.

To return the hemmer 24 into operative position, the latch 44 is first released and the carrier-arm 17 is then swung horizontally in a counter-clockwise direction. During this movement, the cam-shoulder 35 of the carrier-arm 17 engages the rear edge of the guide-plate 21, thereby swinging the carrier-arm 16 forwardly into the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, wherein said carrier-arm 16 engages the stop-pin 40. As the carrier-arm 16 is now restrained against further swinging movement with the carrier-arm 17, the cam-edge 34 of the latter rides past the rounded end of the guide-plate 21 and thereby acts to shift the latter endwise in its guideway 18 against the action of the spring 32. The hemmer 24 is thereby brought sidewise into operative position close to the needle and into the cut out portion of the presser-foot. The swinging movement of the carrier-arm 1'? in a counter-clockwise direction is limited by the engagement of the edge of said carrier-arm with the cam-edge 27 of the stopplate 26. In this position of the carrier-arm 1'7, the latch-nose 44 snaps over the base-plate keeper-edge 49 to thereby hold the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In order to more clearly define the invention, the hemmer 24 is termed a primary work-guide in certain of the appended claims and the carrier-arm 16 is termed a primary carrierarm. For the same reason, the hemmer 39 is termed a substitute work-guide and its carrier 17 is designated as an auxiliary carrier-arm, but it is to be understood that the terms mentioned have no bearing upon any order of importance of the respective parts.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine, a reciprocatory needle, a plurality of work-guides for alternate em-- ployment in directing work past said needle, pivotally supported carrier-arms for said workguides, and means whereby a swinging movement of one of said work-guides from operative position initially eiiects a swinging movement of the other Work-guide and its carrier into a predetermined position and thereafter effects a shifting of aid other work-guide crosswise of the line of seam formation.

2. In a sewing machine, a reciprocatory needle, a feed-dog for advancing work past the needle, a work-support, a carrier-arm pivotally supported for swinging movement in a plane substantially parallel with said work-support, a stop limiting the swinging movement of said carrierarm in one direction, a work-guide slidably mounted upon said carrier-arm, and means including a manually operable member for imparting to said carrier-arm a swinging movement about its pivotal axis into engagement with said stop, said member having a cam effective to shift said work-guide upon its carrier-arm in a direction crosswise of the line of seam formation into operative position with respect to said needle.

3. In a sewing machine, a reciprocatory needle, a pivotally supported primary carrier-arm, a primary work-guide slidably mounted upon said carrier-arm, a pivotally supported auxiliary carrier-arm, a substitute work-guide carried by said auxiliary carrier-arm, a stop limiting swinging movements of said primary carrier-arm in onev direction, and operative connections between said carrier-arms whereby a swinging movement of the auxiliary carrier-arm from operative position of the work-guide carried thereby effects both a swinging movement of the primary carrier-arm into engagement with said stop and a shifting movement of the primary work-guide upon said carrier-arm into operative position with respect to said needle.

4. A work-guiding attachment for sewing machines comprising, a pivotally supported primary carrier-arm, a primary work-guide slidably mounted upon said carrier-arm, an auxiliary carrier-arm having a pivotal support coaxial with that of said primary carrier-arm, a substitute work-guide carried by said auxiliary carrier-arm, and means including a cam carried by said auxiliary carrier-arm for effecting a swinging movement of the primary carrier-arm and a sliding movement of the primary work-guide upon its carrier-arm by a swinging movement of said auxiliary carrier-arm.

5. In a sewing machine, a reciprocatory needle, a pivotally supported primary carrier-arm, a primary work-guide carrying slide shiftably supported upon said carrier-arm, a pivotally supported auxiliary carrier-arm, a substitute workguide carried by said auxiliary carrier-arm for movement into and out of operative position by a swinging movement of said auxiliary carrierarm, a cam upon said auxiliary carrier-arm, a spring acting to yieldingly hold said primary work-guide carrying slide in engagement with said cam, and a stop limiting swinging movement of said primary carrier-arm in one direction, said cam being formed to effect a swinging movement of the primary carrier-arm into engagement with said stop and to shift said slide upon its carrierarm by a swinging movement of said auxiliary carrier-arm.

6. In a sewing machine, a reciprocatory needle, primary and substitute work-guides alternately effective in directing work past said needle, a pivotally mounted primary carrier-arm supporting said primary work-guide for sliding movements thereupon, a pivotally mounted auxiliary carrier-arm supporting said substitute work-guide for swinging movement into and out of operative position with respect to said needle, operative connections between said carrier-arms whereby swinging movements of said auxiliary carrier-arm to carry the substitute work-guide into and out of operative position effects sliding movements out of and into operative position of said primary work-guide upon its carrier-arm and swinging movements of the primary carrier-arm, and means for latching said auxiliary carrier-arm in the operative positions of both of said work-guides.

'7. A work-guiding attachment for sewing machines comprising, a base-plate, primary and auxiliary carrier-arms mounted upon said base-plate for swinging movements about a common pivotal axis, a primary work-guide carrying slide shiftably supported upon said primary carrierarm, a substitute work-guide supported by the auxiliary carrier-arm, a cam upon said auxiliary carrier-arm, a spring yieldingly retracting said primary work-guide carrying slide into engagement with said cam, a stop upon said base-plate limiting swinging movement of the primary carrier-arm in one direction, a stop upon said primary carrier-arm limiting swinging movement of the auxiliary carrier-arm relatively to said primary carrier-arm, and means for releasably latching said auxiliary carrier-arm in different positions thereof upon said base-plate.

8. In a sewing machine, a work-support, a reciprocatory needle, a feed-dog for advancing 100 work past said needle, a presser-foot opposed to said feed-dog, a Work-guide having a delivery end disposed in front of said needle and presser-foot in an operative position of the Work-guide, supporting means providing for sidewise retraction 105 of said work-guide from operative position in an initial direction crosswise of the line of seam formation into presser-foot clearing position and for a succeeding swinging movement delivery end first in a plane substantially parallel with said 110 work-support, and means including a manually operable cam-member for successively imparting to said work-guide its sidewise retracting and swinging movements out of operative position.

JAMES E. ACKERMAN.

CERTIFECATE G? coiiimzmri.

iatent No. 1,957,403. May 1, 1934.

JAMES E. AGKERMAN.

I: is hereby certified that errer appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring cerrection as foiiows: Page 2, line 40, .for "endwise" read sidewise; and thai the sai LQHQES Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may c0n0m to ti'ie record ef the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 19th day 0f June, A. D. .1934.

Bryan M. Battey (Sea!) Acfing Cmnmissioner of Patents. 

